Top 3-year-old Mastery retired to Claiborne Farm

Mastery, a Grade 1-winning son of Candy Ride, has officially been retired from racing a day after arriving at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., and will debut at stud during the 2018 breeding season.

Mastery was undefeated in four starts, including wins in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity at Los Alamitos and the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar as a juvenile. He returned this year at 3 to win the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes, and retired with earnings of $511,200. Bob Baffert trained Mastery for owner Cheyenne Stables.

Mastery established himself as a leader of his sophomore class in the San Felipe on March 11 at Santa Anita, winning the race by 6 3/4 lengths. However, the glory was short-lived when he pulled up past the wire and was vanned off. Radiographs revealed a condylar fracture to his left front leg, and he underwent surgery two days later. Claiborne announced a deal to stand the colt later that month.

"I want to commend the extraordinary effort by Bob Baffert and his team rehabbing Mastery in California and getting him back to this point," said Everett Dobson, of Cheyenne Stables. "I'm very appreciative and extremely excited about his arrival at Claiborne Farm for the next chapter in his career."

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Mastery arrived at Claiborne Farm on Monday, at which point bloodstock manager Bernie Sams said a decision regarding his future on the track or at stud would be made upon veterinary inspection. Sams said on Monday that the colt had another 30 days of rehabilitation ahead of him.

"He's on the path to full recovery," Sams said. "He's an impressive, powerful-looking colt and arrived in great condition. We're honored to have him join our stallion roster."

Bred in Kentucky by Stone Farm, Mastery is out of the winning Old Trieste mare Steady Course, dam of stakes winner Clear Sailing. He is from the family of Grade 1 winner and sire Jump Start and prominent sire Miswaki.